“He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19) .
Psalm 18
In my cluttered closet where I grab a shirt and pair of jeans and put on my leather cowboy boots each morning, I have a mirror over my dresser drawers. I look into that mirror as little as possible (to avoid looking at my old, wrinkled hillbilly face)! But, when I brush and dry my hair, I look up and smile as I see the only two pictures on my mirror. One picture is of my daughter, Courtney, and the other is of my daughter, Jamie! Just two pictures. Those two photographs have been hanging on that mirror for over 20 years.
“The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me ” (Psalm 16:5 & 6) .
Psalm 16
Being a native Texan, I can laugh at the jest about our Texas tendency to dream excessively!
“A Texan doesn’t want much land…just everything that adjoins his property.”
In a similar satirical manner, Dr. Seuss tells a story about “Yertle the Turtle” who wanted to see and own the world by stacking up all the turtles in his happy little pond so he could stand on their backs and see the world that he believed he had the right to rule. With very little care for the pain he was causing the turtles upon which he made his stand, “Yertle the Turtle” demanded that all turtles climb upon each others’ backs to give his self-made throne a world-wide view of all he believed he had dominion over. That is until a turtle named “Mack”, at the bottom of the stack, burped which caused the entire stack to come tumbling down and plummeted Yertle the Turtle to the floor of the muddy pond below.
Psalm16:1&2 -“ Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. I said to theLord,‘You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.’ ”
What does it mean to you to say, “I have no good besides You”?
Philippians4:11&12 – “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
Like Yertle the Turtle and Texans in the satires, what are the dangers and pitfalls of greed?
Describe the virtue of contentment by a lamb who “grazes in the pasture” of Jesus our Shepherd?
Psalm23:1 -“ The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. ”
If Jesus is our Shepherd, is He enough to you?
Why should Jesus’ provision of grace be sufficient for you?
Honestly describe how your heart seeks after more,even when you already have Jesus’ provision granted to you.
Philippians4:5-7 -“ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus .” Why does greed lead to anxiety?
Psalm16:11 -“ You will make known to me the path of life;in Your presence is fullness of joy;in Your right hand there are pleasures forever .”
What is David trying to communicate to you in this passage?
How would your life be different if Jesus was truly enough for you?
THE SHEPHERD’S CALL
John13:15 – “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
From today’s scripture, how does THE Shepherd inspire you to shepherd your flock?
MINUTE OF MEDITATION
“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever ” (Psalm 16:11).
“The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one ” (Psalm 14:2 & 3) .
Until He becomes your all-in-all, He is really your nothing at all. Psalm 14
The Heart of A Mom is a free online resource destination created to encourage and inspire Moms of all ages as they pursue the most important role in their life—being a Mom. Created by Dr. Joe White, President of Kanakuk Ministries, Heart of A Mom hosts dozens of Gathering events across the United States each year, welcoming women from all walks of life to an event created especially to thank Moms for all they do.
